What’s really going on for candidates in their job hunt?

WHATS REALLY GOING ON . . .

At 100% IT Recruitment, we understand that candidates are our life blood and we strive to ensure that they are given the best possible experience when looking for a new job.

It’s important to us that they are treated as we would like to be treated ourselves. So this report, complied by one of the leading job boards in the UK makes for fascinating reading. I hope you find it equally as useful and insightful.

CANDIDATE FEEDBACK FOR RECRUITMENT PROCESS BASED ON 70,000 CANDIDATES100% IT RECRUITMENT IN CONJUNCTION WITH JOBSITE 2016

Candidates highlighted three major pain points during the recruitment process:

LENGTHY APPLICATION FORMS – 37% OF CANDIDATES

Keep it short and sweet – lengthy application forms/process is a major barrier to conversation. Could some questions be saved for a face to face interview instead? The most in demand candidates are likely to simply go elsewhere.

LACK OF STRUCTURED FEEDBACK

49% nearly half the 70,000 candidates surveyed revealed that they are rarely or never received any feedback following a job application which puts a negative feel regarding that organisation

46% of candidates said this was the MOST frustrating part of find a job – lack of feedback

54% of candidates revealed that they would wait between 1-7 days to hear back following an application before moving on. Sadly 34% said they would wait up to 2-3 weeks!

POOR VACANCY QUALITY – SALARY DETAILS

Candidates in the IT Sector are particularly frustrated by lack of information about a role: 36% said this would stop them applying

Jobsite analysed the performance of roles with and without salaries. On average applications per vacancy are 69% higher for roles that state a salary.

Candidates are using salary as an important reference point, helping them to determine which roles are suitable for them. Providing a salary within a job spec can save both the applicant and client valuable time.

CANDIDATES ENJOY SEARCHING!

On a positive 40% of candidates stated that they actually enjoy searching for jobs! Candidates are looking for new positions more frequently that their employer realised. 41% of permanently employed candidates revealed that they searched for jobs daily. 64% said that they are looking but more passively (keeping an eye on the market).

THE UNEMPLOYED VS THE EMPLOYED CANDIDATE – 100% IT RECRUITMENT IN CONJUNCTION WITH JOBSITE 2016

Results show that in ONE WEEK: 58% of permanently employed candidates applied for 1 or more jobs, 90% of unemployed candidates applied for 1 or more jobs

CANDIDATES WHO ARE UNEMPLOYED ARE APPLYING FOR TWICE AS MANY JOBS AS THOSE PERMANENTLY EMPLOYED

Given that earlier in this report over 1/3 of candidates wait 2-3 weeks before giving up hope on a job application, it’s clear that providing feedback quickly to those who are not going to be shortlisted is a crucial way to keep permanently employed candidates engaged and applying for new roles.

Website data shows that most applications are made in the daytime. We see that applying tends to peak at around 11am on weekdays, with a notable drop off in applications during the evening.

THE TRUTH ABOUT DEVICES

IT Engineering Finance 64% 45% 47% Laptops & PC

50% 48% 49% Mobile

IT candidates are using their laptops more to search and apply for jobs. Perhaps more surprising, though, is that engineering and finance candidates are using their smartphones more than any other device to look for jobs. A fully responsive site is a key factor in ensuring that candidates are able to browse and apply on the move – works the same with Recruiters having access to their Databases and candidates through smart phones too.

IN SUMMARY

37% find filling in application forms the least appealing part of job seeking

Nearly half (49%) state they are rarely or never receive feedback following put their CV forward

34% of candidates are waiting 2-3 weeks to hear back following an application before giving up on that role. Timely feedback is key to keep these candidates in the market applying for new jobs.

30% of candidate’s state that lack of information stops them applying for a job. They find unclear salaries and unclear locations highly frustrating

64% of respondents are passively searching for jobs

A minority of candidates are very disillusioned; 25% claim not to enjoy any part of searching of applying for jobs.

Candidates are predominately using laptops and smartphones to search and apply for jobs. IT candidates more likely to use a laptop (64%) compared to engineering (45%) or Finance (47%) candidates.